Caffeine in White Tea

I had to learn a lot about teas when I started working for a different tea vendor from Adagio. I work at Teavana as a Team Lead. In my experience I've learned that white teas contain less than 2 percent caffeine. Greens contain about 5 percent. Oolong contain around 15 percent and Blacks contain about 20 percent. That's for authentic teas...

Scruff McGruff wrote:I'm curious... what is the training required for a Teavana employee as far as learning about teas goes? No offense, but I have met some who know shockingly little...

We have a whole manual you have to read through, and you have to complete and pass a set of 3 tests before you are officially considered a permanent employee. We also all have to read "The Tea Companion," a book you can even find at Barnes and Noble. Outside of that I read continuing opinions and facts about tea because I don't claim to know _everything_ but I am _very_ interested because my little sister is a cancer survivor and anything to boost the immune system turns me on. White tea is one of those things If you knew someone who didn't know much at the Teavana store they worked at, chances are either they were new or won't be around for long or else their store is at the bottom of all sales... feel sorry for them but please don't think we're all apathetic because of one bad experience Most of us are really enthusiastic about learning and experiencing the benefits of tea!

Thanks for clearing up the education of a Teavana employee, Satine. Like Scruff, I've experienced some 'teaologists' who were just plain wrong (and rude!). 'Course, I've also experienced some great ones who genuinely made me feel welcome in the store and who were mildly enlightening.

Is "The Tea Companion" book you mentioned Jane Pettigrew's publication? That's not a bad 101 book! (And it has enough nice color pictures to keep those who hate reading--plebeians--interested.)

Mary R wrote:Thanks for clearing up the education of a Teavana employee, Satine. Like Scruff, I've experienced some 'teaologists' who were just plain wrong (and rude!). 'Course, I've also experienced some great ones who genuinely made me feel welcome in the store and who were mildly enlightening.

Is "The Tea Companion" book you mentioned Jane Pettigrew's publication? That's not a bad 101 book! (And it has enough nice color pictures to keep those who hate reading--plebeians--interested.)

Yes, that's the book! And we have an additional manual besides to go through and the tests to take as I mentioned

We also have to go through extensive training of everything imported in the store from the cast irons to the Yixing pots. And even then I'm always hearing something else to add to my book of knowledge, so I never say I know everything, but you'd be surprised how many don't know anything and will even tell us that when they enter the store... so, we do what we can. My store happens to have excellent managment and a great team too, so I think we do well because we all get along well and have good chemistry. We all take our jobs seriously without trying to be snooty about it--I used to work at a salon doing hair and I got tired of the stereotypical personalities I worked with quickly. So, I followed my heart and got into tea quite honestly because of Steph (Steph, my little sister had NHL, a lymphoma and is in remission now.) The nice thing about working at a tea emporium is that we are able to experiment with the 105 teas from the 11 countries that we do carry, so we get real familiar with them. [/i]

I actually think the old jive that white tea has less caffeine than others is wrong too. I can feel more of a buzz from white tea than I do from a few full cups of sencha. It must have something to do with the TRICHOMES.

Satine, when you talk about the percentages of caffeine in tea, you're talking about dry product, right? Because whats in dry product vs. what gets infused into the tea are two very different things.

In addition to Space's experience and Fukamushi Dynasty's, I too find that white tea is loaded with caffeine. And, quite frankly, I find it a little annoying when people are so adamant that white tea is low in caffeine, as if you repeat this notion enough it will then become reality.

Silver needle is the example I'm using, because that is the white tea I had in which the caffeine effect was so obvious. So, my personal conclusion is that at the very least silver needle is not a low caffeinated beverage and that any notion that it is is merely misinformation.

Could other white tea's, like peony be low in caffeine... They *could* but I'm not convinced of it, and the silver needle, from my experience gives every indication of high levels of caffeine.

Space Samurai wrote:White tea will get me more jazzed then three bowls of koicha, so I've always doubted the claims that white tea has such a low amount of caffiene.

Fukamushi Dynasty wrote:Space Samurai feeling the effects of caffeine... End of the world?

I actually think the old jive that white tea has less caffeine than others is wrong too. I can feel more of a buzz from white tea than I do from a few full cups of sencha. It must have something to do with the TRICHOMES.

Satine, when you talk about the percentages of caffeine in tea, you're talking about dry product, right? Because whats in dry product vs. what gets infused into the tea are two very different things.

Caffeine will vary depending on which flush the tea is picked during also. First flush Silver Needle probably has somewhat more caffeine than a later flush. Only the first leaves have more caffeine though. But, I still don't think it's enough to notice much. Overall and generall speaking white tea has less than 2% and I'm sure futher studies are being done to iron out any discrepancies.